Investigators searching for missing Arizona grandmother Nancy Guthrie say they have lifted a DNA profile from a black glove found near her Tucson home and are warning residents to expect stepped-up police activity as the case enters its third week.
The FBI said the DNA came from a glove recovered in a field off a roadway about two miles from Guthrie's house. Officials say it appears to match the type of gloves worn by a masked intruder seen on doorbell camera footage outside the 84-year-old's home on the night she vanished.
The sample is described as an unknown male profile, which is going through quality checks before it is uploaded to national law enforcement databases. Authorities collected around 16 gloves in the wider search area, but investigators say the glove with DNA is distinct from others that likely came from volunteer searchers, according to People.
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said people in the Tucson area should be ready for visible law enforcement operations every day as detectives chase new leads. "Every day moving forward, there will be a lot of police activity throughout the community," Nanos told Fox News, adding that some leads could lead to searches and warrants connected to Guthrie's disappearance, Yahoo News reported.
Read more: Desperate Search For Savannah Guthrie's Mom is 'Race Against Time' As Cops Suspect Kidnapping
Deputies and FBI agents have already swarmed at least one nearby home and seized a gray Range Rover as part of the investigation, briefly detaining and then releasing a cooperative person of interest.
Guthrie, the mother of "Today" show co-host Savannah Guthrie, was last seen at her Tucson home on the night of January 31 and reported missing on February 1 after she failed to arrive for a church event. Investigators found her phone, wallet, medications, and car still at the house, along with blood on the floor and signs that her doorbell camera had been tampered with. Authorities have called the case a likely abduction and confirmed that blood at the scene matched Guthrie's DNA.
At least two ransom notes sent to media outlets are being reviewed, and the FBI is offering a reward of $100,000 for information leading to Guthrie's return or an arrest. Nanos has vowed that agencies "won't quit" the search, saying it could take hours, weeks, or even years, but that investigators remain determined to find Guthrie and the person responsible, as per the New York Times.
